When will Apple patch security update 2012-001?

The Time Machine restore feature on the Snow Leopard discs does not give you the option of restoring only the System folder. Doing so would likely cause problems because the contents of other system level folders (like the root level Library folder) need to be compatible with the contents of the System folder. The restore is basically an all or nothing process, although it does give you the choice of which backup date to restore from.

There is no indication I can find that the security update modifies the existing Rosetta files (found in the normally hidden /usr/ folder at path /usr/libexec/oah/) so it doesn't seem likely reinstalling them would do any good.

If my experiences with the update are typical, only "native" PPC apps are affected by whatever bug it introduces into the OS (those that rely on Rosetta to run on an Intel Mac). I have noticed only problems relating to printing from those apps but I don't have many native PPC apps so I can't say if this is true of all PPC apps.

Right. I use few native PowerPC apps (especially on my unibody MacBook Pro) but I do use AppleWorks still. I just built so many databases and spreadsheets around it and rely on it for a lot of business work. I run it on my other older Macs as well, but I do want to be able to access it on my MB Pro too. I have no problem opening AppleWorks files from the finder or launching AppleWorks itself, but opening from within AppleWorks instantly crashes (quits) it.

The thing about "Pacifist" and reinstalling Rosetta is I saw a couple posts that said it fixed it for them. If nothing else, could it hurt to try or is trying to downgrade to before Security Update a better solution? ...and again, what is Pacifist anyway?

http://www.charlessoft.com has Pacifist.

As for reinstalling Rosetta with it, I don't know how, but I am sure if you Google you will find it.

This thread has some of the solutions:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3704759?tstart=0

SWLinPHX wrote:

The thing about "Pacifist" and reinstalling Rosetta is I saw a couple posts that said it fixed it for them. If nothing else, could it hurt to try or is trying to downgrade to before Security Update a better solution? ...and again, what is Pacifist anyway?

Personally, I'm just going to wait a few days & see if Apple releases an official fix, in part because it isn't clear if replacing the Rosetta files or the other 'emergency' fixes I've read about in these forums fixes the problems with all affected PPC apps, & partially because it is possible (if unlikely) that one of the user-suggested fixes might interfere with an official fix.

Pacifist is a shareware utility application that among other things can extract individual files & folders from installer package files. I suppose the idea from the posts suggesting using it is to extract the Rosetta files from (say) the 10.6.8 update & to replace the existing ones on your startup drive with them.

If that is all there is to it, it would be simpler to use the Time Machine application (not the restore on the Snow Leopard DVD) to replace the existing ones from an earlier backup predating the installation of the security update.

To do that you could navigate to /usr/libexec/ in Finder (for instance with the Finder's "Go" menu > "Go to Folder..." option) & then run the Time Machine app by clicking on its Dock icon. In the 'outer space' TM interface, choose a backup date & time from just before you applied the security update, right click on the "oah" folder & select the "Restore oah ..." menu choice.

To be totally clear about it, I'm not recommending that you should do this, only that it is one possible alternative if you want to try a 'DIY' remedy.

As long as I can open important AppleWorks files and save them on my older Macs I can wait a couple days to see if Apple fixes the problem. I'm assuming the Rosetta files are all inivisible and that's why you have to use "Go to Folder"? I don't understand which files need to be replaced, or do you mean the entire " /usr/libexec/" folder? Also, what does "oah" mean?

"oah" is the name Apple has chosen for the folder that contains the Rosetta executable & support files. The "usr" folder is one of several folders at the root level of the startup drive that are maintained by the OS. They should not be modified by users unless they know exactly what they are doing. For this reason these folders are normally hidden from view & generally have short, cryptic names.

Again, I am not recommending that you try replacing these files, particularly if you are not familiar with these hidden folders or their purpose. If you don't get everything exactly right it is quite possible you will cause much more serious problems than you fix.

If you are an enterprising programmer and know the locations the files reside for Rosetta, I give you this AppleScript code for doing administrative tasks in the Terminal*:

http://www.macmaps.com/software.html

Note though this patch may not work properly with any patch Apple releases in the future. So be aware if you install via this method, you may have locked yourself out from a simple upgrade and install of Lion, or future security update. If you program a patch yourself, be sure to include that disclaimer as to whether or not it has been tested successfully with upgrading to Lion, or upgrading to further security updates if they should happen on your patch website.

I found a solution on this discussion (in french but if you want I can traslate that for you) with the help of Lionel (check on the discussion) !

My MS Office 2004 is now working again and Rosetta is fully OK.

If you want a traduction of the solution, ask me !

You just need a "new" framework (offered by Lionel on this discussion) and reboot your engine (and maybe use Utility's Repair Disk Permissions feature).

My MS Office 2004 works perfectly, thanks to the Mac users (and not Appel 😠)

Discussion : http://forum.macbidouille.com/index.php?showtopic=354758&st=60

I've always known about all the other hidden root level folders (like "usr", "bin", etc.) but never saw "oah" before or knew where Rosetta files were kept.

I don't like screwing with Terminal more than necessary, especially when we know what caused this issue. In a couple of days maybe they will respond, although it's hard to gauge how big the outcry and feedback has been from users using Rosetta apps and if Apple will address it, so I may have to.

However, if I'm going to revert to a previous backup from Time Machine I should do it sooner rather than later right? The more changes I make the worse it is. I'm not sure I fully underastand how to use Time Machine to restore a back up that will replace those files only though. Do I just enter Time Machine mode and navigate to them, or even just go to my Time Machine drive and find them (invisibly) from the last backup done before Security Update 2012-001 was installed? Can I just drop and replace that with the current version of the "usr/libexec" folder or what folder/files? Some say to boot from the OS X disc and choose "Backup from Time Machine" while others say the opposite.

LeonGambetta, what is the solution?? I'm going to assume the majority of us are in fact not fluent in French.

🙂 Heh heh. I grew up speaking English, Spanish and French, courtesy of my "mixed and mutt-like" genetic heritage. I followed almost all of the conversation on the French website, but not enough to trust overhauling my iMac. . .

My mother-in-law is very fluent as she should be--French Canadian, but she knows about as much about computers, and in particular Macs, as Michael Jackson knew about testosterone.

I've got the OS software en route. Will give the iMac light duty until it arrives, then will simply re-install the software, do the requisite updates (except for the latest one), and then cry in my light beer for losing a lot of faith in Apple--something I simply did not think possible in the last twenty-five plus years I've owned Apple/Macs.

I'm glad that I do have Time Capsule as well as off-site backup storage. I just didn't include my OS software in the backup for Time Capsule, and am not confident enough to do a restore with the offsite storage for the OS.

My backup is for documents and files. I can replace OS and application software, but many of the documents and files and pictures cannot be replaced--so I devote the backup storage to those things.

Have you ever opened the Time Machine application? If not, it might be a good idea to do that, just to get an idea of how it works. If you do that, my instructions for accessing /usr/libexec/oah/ may be easier to follow.

It is harder to access normally invisible folders than visible ones, but it is worth knowing how to retreive selected items from a TM backup just in case that ever becomes desireable.

Yes, I'm familiar with opening or entering Time Machine, but never restoring hidden or even System files. Is there a reason it's easier to do by entering the app than just to navigate to the folder/files you need under the backup date you need on the Time Machine hard drive though?

SWLinPHX wrote:

Is there a reason it's easier to do by entering the app than just to navigate to the folder/files you need under the backup date you need on the Time Machine hard drive though?

Yes. The TM app offers several options for restoring items & it all takes place without the need to open several windows or drag anything from one to another.

Also because of the unique way TM stores files on the backup drive, it is not a good idea to try to modify them (on that drive) from Finder. What looks like a complete dated backup is not exactly that -- there is actually only one copy of each unique version of each file in the entire backup, even though it may appear in many differently dated backup folders.

That isn't much of an issue here but would be if say you tried to remove (instead of just copying) files from the TM backup.

Basically, unless you know exactly what you are doing, it is almost always best to use an app provided for such things. If you are curious, there is nothing wrong with looking but manually modifying anything at the system level should be approched with caution.

Yes, I realize that each update, though they all may say they are 300 GB each for instance, obviously are not that big or else you could barefly fit more than one or two backups on a 1 TB hard drive. Time Machine only keep copies of altered files without duplicating or "re-storing" copies of any unchanged files & folders. It is misleading if one believes the folder size given for each Time Machine backup.

I was not talking about making any changes to the Time Machine backups in Finder or deleting or altering them -- I would never do that. I was just talking about copying the Rosetta files I needed (or whatever) before the Security Update from the Time Machine backup drive using Finder and then just using them to replace the current ones on my current system. It seems that would be easy since it is basically a duplicate backup (which I used to to do with Retrospect before I began using Time Machine regularly). But without knowing exactly what files or folders I need to replace for Rosetta, i wouldn't know how to do it right using the Finder or the Time Machine app. Could you tell me for sure what all the files/folders would be I should replace? I could always save the new ones temporarily until I determine if the older backed up ones rectify the issue.